- El-Rufai Denies ICPC Allegations, Demands Release of Personal Physician
- Former governor demanded immediate release of his detained personal physician.
- El-Rufai insisted access to medical care remains a legal right in custody.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has denied allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that he abused a court-approved medical visit while in custody, accusing the anti-graft agency of misrepresenting the facts and the law surrounding the incident.
El-Rufai also demanded the immediate release of his personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, and called on the ICPC to withdraw its allegation that he violated a court order.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the demands were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, in response to the commission’s July 7 statement titled, *”El-Rufai and Medical Doctor Abuse Privilege, Violate Court Order.”
Adekeye described the ICPC’s account as inaccurate, insisting that El-Rufai’s inability to appear in court on July 6 resulted from an unresolved medical condition that had already been brought to the commission’s attention before the scheduled hearing.
According to the statement, El-Rufai’s personal physician had earlier attempted to examine him at the ICPC facility after consulting with the commission’s doctor but was allegedly denied access despite waiting for more than two hours.
The statement added that El-Rufai’s family later wrote to the ICPC requesting that he be taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, on July 7 for consultation with his physician. It maintained that the request was submitted before the family was informed of his scheduled court appearance on July 6.
“It was against this background, an unresolved medical need, a documented denial of access to his physician the week before, and Malam El-Rufai’s continuing ill health, that the scheduled trip to Kaduna on 6th July became untenable. He did not travel that day for that reason,” the statement said.
El-Rufai’s camp also rejected the ICPC’s claim that the former governor had no immediate medical complaints and only requested access to his doctor following an appeal by his wife.
Adekeye described the allegation as false, insisting that the request for medical attention was genuine and not an attempt to avoid appearing in court.
“The suggestion that he had ‘no immediate medical complaints’ on 6th July, or that the request to see his doctor was devised to avoid court, is accordingly untrue,” he said.
The former governor’s media team further disputed the ICPC’s allegation that El-Rufai violated a court order during the hospital visit.
According to Adekeye, the relevant order was issued on April 1, 2026, by Justice R.M. Aikawa in Charge No. FHC/KD/73C/2026 and guaranteed El-Rufai access to medical treatment while in custody.
He argued that the order did not regulate or restrict who could see the former governor during a medical consultation.
“The order does not regulate, restrict, or impose conditions on who may see or be seen by him while that access is being exercised,” the statement noted.
El-Rufai’s camp maintained that no aspect of the court order was breached during the hospital visit.
The statement also challenged the commission’s description of the hospital visit as a political gathering, alleging that the ICPC changed the medical appointment from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., when the hospital was busier, without informing El-Rufai’s family until the morning of the visit.
“It was the Commission that moved the appointment from a quiet 5:00 p.m. slot to a high-traffic 10:00 a.m. slot, and it was the Commission’s own personnel who were stationed at the scene throughout,” the statement said.
Adekeye argued that the sequence of events did not support the commission’s claim that the medical visit was used to organise a political meeting.
He also condemned the arrest of Professor Abubakar and called on the ICPC to disclose the specific allegation against the physician.
“We call for Professor Abubakar’s immediate and unconditional release pending the ICPC’s disclosure of the specific allegation against him,” the statement read.
El-Rufai’s camp further maintained that access to medical care is a legal right rather than a privilege, citing the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, as well as the subsisting court order.
The statement warned that any attempt by the ICPC to restrict El-Rufai’s access to medical treatment, family members or legal representatives could amount to contempt of court.
It concluded by insisting that the facts did not support the commission’s allegation that the hospital visit was used for political purposes.
